CVE-2023-2426Public exploit

Editor crash via uninitialized fuzzy-match arrays

Published Apr 29, 2023 · Updated Oct 15, 2024

Out-of-range pointer use in Vim before 9.0.1499 allows local users to crash the editor through crafted fuzzy-match input. The fuzzy_match_recursive and vgr_match_buflines paths use match-position arrays before initialization, so malformed patterns drive reads from indeterminate offsets. Triggering the affected path requires a local Vim invocation that evaluates the crafted pattern; the demonstrated consequence is process interruption, not established code execution.

CVSS severity6.8
Medium
EPSS probability0.41%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-range pointer use in Vim before 9.0.1499 allows local users to crash the editor through crafted fuzzy-match input. The fuzzy_match_recursive and vgr_match_buflines paths use match-position arrays before initialization, so malformed patterns drive reads from indeterminate offsets. Triggering the affected path requires a local Vim invocation that evaluates the crafted pattern; the demonstrated consequence is process interruption, not established code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-2426
Published
Apr 29, 2023
Updated
Oct 15, 2024
Vendor
Vim
Product
Vim
Classifications
CWE-823, CAPEC-129
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 29, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 15, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <9.0.1499

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Vim · Vimversion=unspecified <9.0.1499

Published CVSS scores

6.8huntr.devCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-823Use of Out-of-range Pointer Offset
CAPEC-129Pointer Manipulation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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